Dear Selah,
Hello my beautiful baby girl, tomorrow you will turn 7 months old. I wanted to write you this letter when you were 1/2 a year old…but alas, the time has flown and here I am four weeks later with the time and inspiration to do it. However, I think I may be thwarted in my attempts because you are fussing and I should really go pick you up before you start really crying. Usually you’d be in bed right next to me, but lately neither of us has been sleeping so well, so I’ve been trying to get you to sleep in your little crib right here in the room with us.
Well, tonight has become this morning and now I’m watching you sit and play with your toys. Mostly you are content and happy, making your little happy sounds, but boy when you are frustrated, the whole house echoes with your cries. No, I wouldn’t call you a quiet baby. A happy baby, yes…most of the time. I think part of your frustration today is that your two front teeth are coming in. Yes, at 7 months you have your bottom two and top two front teeth. I’d feel sorry for you, but I’m feeling more sorry for myself since you are still nursing full time, and every once in a while you like to test our your chompers on me. OUCH!
Now Drew is sitting and playing with you and you look at him with much admiration and curiosity. You smile and talk to him the best way you know how, kind of in loud yells and raspberries. There is very little time when you are quiet.
Currently you are frustrated again. Your face is scrunching into a scowl as each cry gets louder. I’m not sure what it is you are upset about, you are sitting there with a basket of your toys within arms reach. If I pick you up, you will quiet down for a bit, but then start yelling again when I wont let you have my food and my cup of tea you are desperately reaching for.
You aren’t quite crawling on all fours yet, but you can get around just fine with your expert army crawl. Often you slow yourself down pushing up on your toes, lifting your bottom way in the air. I think, ” I wonder if she is going to start doing a monkey crawl?” You have determination though. You want what you want and you will do whatever it takes to get there, whether it be crawling, rolling or yelling so loud that someone gets it for you.
Now I’ve got you in your high chair next to me. I’ve given you a teething biscuit to distract you from making your loud cries, and from destroying my plant that you’ve been pulling the leaves from. Yes, your curiosity knows no bounds. You will reach for anything that catches your eye; mommy’s nose ring, Drew’s hair, daddy’s face, Beau’s shirt, the clasp of your highchair belt. And whatever it is, if you can get it, into your mouth it goes. Yes, not much can escape the slime. Often your shirts are soaked through.
What you do ming tasting however, is solid food. Well, you want to eat, very much so, but the minute that food hits your mouth, you act as if you’ve been fed something I imagine must taste like a skunk smells. Your little face contorts, one of your eyes squints and then you start to gag and cough. It’s really quite amusing to me, though I am starting to wonder if you will ever be able to stand the taste to eat solid food at all. I guess we’ll have to keep trying though.
I know I’m biased, but I think you are the most beautiful baby girl around. You’ve got gorgeous big and round blue eyes. Along with your eyebrows, which are light brown and shaped just like your daddy’s, and your gracefully long eyelashes, you are equipped for being very expressive and you seldom disappoint. Your hair gets thicker every day, and appears to still be brown. It never really lies down on your head and is always sticking out…which is very cute. You have a tiny little bow-tie mouth, though it is hard to see the shape because it is very often open or pursed, or blowing raspberries. You do smile a lot, and at almost everyone. I don’t think you’ve met a stranger yet, though you certainly have looked some people over before granting them your smiley approval. And when your approval is granted, your chubby cheeks are as round and can be and your eyes sparkle with glee.
Well, now you’ve interrupted my writing with spirited yelling. I am again typing one handed, while you try you best to squirm out of my right arm. I’m not sure if you want to nurse or just have me carry you around, being entertained by whatever I am able to do with a baby on my hip. Gone are the days of you being entertained solely by your bouncy seat. I put that old thing in the garage weeks ago.
Selah, you are growing so fast. I wish I could keep you this small forever, yet I anxiously await each of your new milestones. (Well, except for those teeth.) I’m proud to be your mother, proud to finally have a daughter. I hope your future is bright (cliche though it may be) and full of laughter, and fun. I hope that you and I become the best of friends. You already occupy that place in my heart. I pray that I have the wisdom to be the best mother to you, to raise you with joy, love, faith, hope and grace. You are one of the best things in my life, right there with your father and your two brothers. I love you so very much.
Love,
Mama
to somebody?
